EDITORIAL NIK
Hello, and welcome to this, the new issue of BSH. I’m going to start this month with an apology, although it’s really for something that’s completely out of our hands…
As I’m sure you’re only too aware, we (the collective ‘we’, the UK, as opposed to the ‘we’, BSH) have been going through a series of postal strikes throughout November, December, and into this year, too (he says writing this last year…), and it’s really thrown the delivery of a lot of people’s BSHs – something we can only apologise for. We’re trying our best at this end to make sure your magazines’re with you as quickly as possible, and will continue to do so over the length of the strikes, however long that may be. Given the way the modern age works, subscribing to BSH is still the best way to get the magazine (it’s very much cheaper for you that way and, especially at this time of year, doesn’t involve you having to trawl round the shops in the freezin’ cold trying to find a copy) and, as soon as this dispute is resolved, we’ll be back to our usual efficient service, but until then bear with us. We’re doing our best, honest, but there’re only so many copies I can get on the front n’ rear racks on The Future Bike to drop off to people, and some of you do live a chuffin’ long way from where I am, and me ‘ands get really cold in all this frigid winter air…
Anyway, so this is the first issue of 2023 – our 40th year of publication! Okay, so, strictly speaking, the 40th year doesn’t actually start ‘til November as the very first issue all those years ago was dated November/ December ’83 (it wuz bi-monthly at first in them days, not monthly as it became quite soon after) but, hey, what’s eleven months between friends, eh? 40 years, eh? Who’d o’ thought it? I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing that when Mr Myatt and Mr McFarlane, and… umm, I don’t know what the honorific for a dog is… Fri the dog, set up the magazine on Steven’s kitchen table all those years ago, they weren’t expecting it to still be going nearly half-a-century later, that’s for sure (and, in Steven’s case, that he’d still be contributing to it). Those heady days in Altrincham, the days of the Towers, are, sadly, long passed (probably a Good Thing as I’m not sure any of us who were there in the first 20 years or so’d still have functioning kidneys…or probably driving licences either), but we’re still keeping the flame alive and will continue to do so as long as you lot out there want us to. Shall we try for the full 50? Yeah, f**k it, let’s have a go…
Speaking of Mr M still being a contributor (if you haven’t yet read one of his new fiction pieces, give ‘em a go – they’re damn good, and I think his old mate, the legendary Jim Fogg, gawd rest his soul, would be proud someone’s carrying on the biker fiction tradition).
Actually, there seems to’ve been something of a resurgence in the writing of bike-related stories and, as well as four yet-to-be-published stories from the pen of Mr Myatt*, we also have really good new tales from three other authors too, which we’ll bring you over the next few months. This month it’s one by BSH’s old mate Murray Robertson (Steven’ll be back next issue) and, given the complexity of the prose, I can’t wait to see how our Louise (Limb, expert artist of this parish) interprets it into illustrations (I’m writing this a couple of days before her deadline, y’see, so I’ve not seen ‘em yet). Murray’s new yarn (no, not his knitting…) is on pages 72-77 – have a look for yourself!
Anyway, that’s me out of space (thankfully, not in an HP Lovecraft ‘Colour’ way), so I’ll just wish you Happy New Year, and I’ll see you next month!